Prevention of sexual abuse within a Maya community in Yucatan, Mexico: Relevance of their sociocultural features (2014)

Abstract

Part of a project consisting of implementing sexual abuse prevention strategies with boys and girls is presented through psycho-educational means in harmony with the socio-cultural context in which they grow and develop themselves, with an aim to strengthening their self-protection resources and mechanisms. The participant group consisted of 623 children of both genders between the ages of six and nine years residing in a Maya community. Strategies according to relevant main lines of activity (‘axes of action’) in the field of prevention and the community’s peculiarities, taking into account the development stage of the participants. It was found that both boys and girls are aware of the risk and protection factors and, likewise, they recognize those family unit individuals in their so-called ‘nuclear family’ they usually turn to for help. Also the influence of the socio-cultural context was evidenced in their responses to the activities carried out. It has been concluded that involving figures present in the everydayness of boys and girls is worth, as well as the importance of sexual education and working with specific strategies according to the children’s developmental stage and the sociocultural features of each one of the communities where a social project is taking place.